Mad God (4 Stars)

Mad God? Mad film.

"Mad God" was sold out in the cinema today. It's a visual treat, but I didn't understand it at all. I spoke briefly to the people sitting on either side of me, and neither of them had a clue what it was about.

After the film there was a live video conference with the director, Phil Tippett. There were several questions from the audience. In retrospect I regret that I didn't make a note of them all. One person asked the question that was on everyone's minds: "What's the film about?" Phil's reply was, "It's about 80 minutes". Further questions tried to tie him down, but his answers were always evasive.

There's no dialogue in "Mad God". Phil praised the golden age of silent movies. He claims that they were the days when directors were creative, unlike today when Hollywood just makes films according to standard formulas. When asked what silent movies he would recommend, his reply was "Google classic silent movies". He's a nice guy, but trying to get information from him is like squeezing water from a stone.

"Mad God" is Phil Tippett's lifetime work. He worked on it for 33 years from 1987 to 2010, continuing whenever he wasn't interrupted by other projects such as "Robocop" or "Starship Troopers". Mostly he worked alone, but other collaborators joined him for brief periods over the years. When asked how he knew the film was finished, he said that when the contract with Netflix was signed the film was complete.

I checked Netflix as soon as I got home, and it's not available. Maybe it'll be streamed at a future date. It's not the sort of film that can be given a big run in the cinemas. True, it was sold out today, but we were an audience of film freaks who'll watch anything weird.

The Mummy [1999] (5 Stars)

After watching "The Mummy" again last month, I decided to buy the remastered 4K collection. Wow! The picture quality is far superior. I have no more complaints. The picture does justice to the wonderful film. Look how beautiful Rachel Weisz is as Evelyn.

Evelyn Carnahan isn't just a pretty face, she's also very intelligent. She can read Egyptian hieroglyphics. Or is she really intelligent? After opening the Book of the Dead she reads it aloud, reassuring Rick O'Connell, "It's only a book. No harm ever came from reading a book". That's a dumb thing to say. Has she never watched "Evil Dead"?

And this is the result, only 40 seconds later. Here's my advice to my readers: if you ever find an old book, whatever language it's written in, don't read it aloud!

And a few days later she's tied to an altar doing a Betty Page impersonation. "No harm ever came from reading a book"? Now she knows better. I hope.

Success Rate:  + 3.2

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Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (4 Stars)

I was totally unprepared for this film in the cinema today. I thought it was a Japanese children's film, but it's actually the restored version of a classic 1979 anime. I realised that I'd misjudged the film when I looked around and saw that Oliver was the only child in the audience. Having an age rating of 6 doesn't mean a film is made for children.

Fortunately Oliver enjoyed the film, so it wasn't a wasted visit.

Lupin III is a master thief from Japan. Together with an accomplice he robs the casino in Monte Carlo, but as they drive away he examines the loot and finds the notes are all counterfeit. He dumps the cash, and he heads to the nearby Kingdom of Cagliostro, which he deems to be the source of the counterfeit cash. This is the first of many things I don't understand about the film. Why should he go to Cagliostro? What's in it for him?

On arriving he sees a young woman being attacked. He tries unsuccessfully to protect her. She's taken away by the attackers, but she drops her ring. It's a signet ring, and Lupin deduces that she's the Princess of Cagliostro. Further investigations reveal that she's being forced to marry the Duke of Cagliostro against her will. He wants to inherit a hidden treasure, which is strange, because not even the Princess knows where it is. And why does he need to inherit it? He could simply steal it.

Other characters arrive in the kingdom. There's an Interpol agent who wants to arrest Lupin. There's a Samurai warrior of uncertain allegiance. There's a spy called Fujiko who seems to be a romantic interest of Lupin. "The Castle of Cagliostro" is the second film in a series. Maybe I would have understood it better if I'd seen it first.

I found the film very good, despite not understanding everything. The opening titles reminded me of the Batman TV series, which is always a positive. I've read reviews that call it the greatest anime of all time. Shall I watch it again? I don't know. I'd like to watch it accompanied by a fan of the film, not sitting alone in my room. It's a film that needs to be explained to me.

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Bodyguard Kiba 2 (4 Stars)

"Bodyguard Kiba 2" was released in October 1973, only six months after the original film. Those were the good old days. They didn't waste time, they brought out sequels before the public had time to forget the original films.

The Tesshin School wins a karate tournament. A rival school disputes the tournament and issues a challenge. The school's master (whose name I've forgotten, sorry) refuses to accept the challenge, but Kiba is hot-headed and engages in a fight to the death. After he kills his opponent he's arrested and imprisoned. It's not said how long, but I assume it was a relatively short sentence. After his release he says he's retired as a bodyguard, but he's hired by a nightclub owner called Akamatsu.

Once more, the noble man Kiba is working for an evil boss. Akamatsu bought the nightclub with money that he stole from ambushing an American military transport. Kiba comes into personal conflict when Nanjo, one of his prison friends, is released. Nanjo also participated in stealing from the Americans, but he was the only one arrested. He threatens to kill Akamatsu if he doesn't give him his share of the money. Kiba says that he'll kill Nanjo if he tries. It's his job.

The sequel isn't as trashy as the original film, but I'd still label it as Japsploitation. The fights are very stylised. What I mean is, before opponents begin a fight they stand with their arms raised in a fighting pose watching one another. When the fights begin, there are only a few strikes before one of them falls over.

Bodyguard Kiba 1 (4 Stars)

This 1973 film has been released with different names over the years, including "The Bodyguard". "Karate Kiba" and "Karate Killer". Today it's best known as "Bodyguard Kiba 1".

Naoto Kiba is a member of the Tesshin Karate School. A few years previously his master emigrated from Japan to America, but now he and his school have come into disrepute. There was some sort of incident in which his master killed a bull. It's not specified any closer.

When Kiba is flying to America there's an attempt to hijack his plane. Kiba easily overcomes the armed hijackers, using only his bare fists. In America he holds a press conference, in which he offers his services as a bodyguard. A day later a mysterious Japanese woman approaches him and hires him for four days. Despite repeated questions, she refuses to say who she is or who is trying to kill her. Kiba realises it's serious when four masked men attack her on the first evening.

Kiba accompanies her to Japan, and the attempts on her life continue. Finally he finds out what's happening. She was the lover of a Mafia boss in New York. After he was gunned down in public she stole a suitcase of heroin and has arranged to sell it to a Japanese gang. Kiba doesn't take a moral standpoint. He's been hired as a bodyguard, and he'll do his job whether or not he approves of his client.

I've long known about "Bodyguard Kiba 1", but today is the first time I've seen it. I was surprised how trashy it is. The soundtrack is brash and aggressive, like the blaxploitation films of the 1970's. If anything, I'd call it a Japsploitation film. It's enjoyable, but at several points I had to shake my head in amazement. Was this typical of early 1970's Japanese martial arts films? I don't know.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (5 Stars)

I wanted to take my grandson Oliver to the cinema today. Shortly before we were due to leave he changed his mind. The only children's film in the cinema today is "Paw Patrol", and he's getting too old for it. He used to watch "Paw Patrol" videos on YouTube, but now he's eight.

Looking at the films lying around my room, he told me that he wanted to watch "Planet of the Apes", by which he meant "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". Fortunately, my English edition of the Blu-ray contains a dubbed German track. Oliver understands English, but he prefers to watch films in German.

So I watched the film in German today. The dubbing is top quality, as is usual in Germany. It can't be compared with the poor quality dubbing of foreign films in England. In Germany leading theatre actors are hired for dubbing.

Oliver loved the film. He was excited by everything he saw. But do you know what happened next? He went back to his mother (who lives in the same house as me), and he watched it again on Disney Plus. I don't know the full story. Maybe she was curious and wanted to know if the film was suitable for him. But the bottom line is that he watched it twice in a row. Anyone who does that is a real film fan.

And my daughter liked it as well.

Success Rate:  + 3.2

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Seeking Justice (3 Stars)

This is a 2011 action thriller that takes place in New Orleans. Will Gerrard is a meek English teacher. One evening his wife is raped on her way home. In hospital he's approached by a man who says he knows who the rapist is and can deal with him. It's not certain that the police will find him, and even if they do it will mean a harassing trial for his wife, and he might not get more than a year in prison. The stranger, who introduces himself only as Simon, says that the rapist is currently on parole after a previous offence.

"Deal with him"? The word "kill" isn't used, but it's obvious what he means. After short hesitation Will agrees. As a condition he has to agree to do a favour at some time in the future. So there's a catch? Never mind, Will wants justice for his wife.

We see a man shooting the rapist at home. Gradually the plot unravels. Simon runs an organisation that seeks justice for rape victims. A man is sent to kill a rapist. Next time there's a rape, the victim's husband is asked to kill the criminal. It's a chain of killings. The killer can never be found, because he has no connection to the rapist. The person who has been wronged always has an alibi.

Six month's later it's Will's turn to kill someone. He's given the photo of a paedophile and told to kill him.

By this point, I was having problems with the film's premise. It's very infeasible. Will isn't a killer. Probably many of the other men in the chain weren't killers. The film made me think about myself. I'd be happy if someone came to me and offered to kill my wife's rapist. He deserves to die, doesn't he? But if someone asked me to kill a rapist, I couldn't do it. I'm not a killer.

Will only consents to commit a murder after his wife is threatened. So Simon isn't such a good guy after all. After killing the man he finds out that he wasn't a paedophile, he was a reporter who was gathering information on Simon's gang.

This is a strange story. I kept shaking my head as things were uncovered. I just couldn't believe it. I enjoyed Nicolas Cage's acting, but a good actor doesn't make a good film. In fact, all of the main characters are played well, but the story still doesn't hold up.

Success Rate:  - 2.2

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